Objective To document the association between depression and suicidal behavior in a sample of young Senior High School students in the state of Sonora. It also looks forward to provide a reflection on variables of regional context, in which a third of the young people report depressive characteristics. Materials and method The study is descriptive, transversal and comparative; a total of 1358, both male and female students ranging from 15 to 19 years old, were involved. The Depression Scale of the Center for Epidemiological Studies CES-D and the Roberts Suicidal Ideation Scale were used. Results Depression occurs in 67.3% of those who have attempted to commit suicide and in 81.1% of those revealing suicidal ideas. Such differences are statistically significant when compared with those without suicidal behavior. No statistically significant differences by gender are revealed in young people with suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts, but it does reveal a higher tendency in women. Statistically significant higher rates of depression than men were revealed by women in groups that do not have these behaviors. Young people with depression have a risk of suicidal ideas 16 times higher, and 5 times higher for suicidal attempts. Discussion Depression is significantly associated with suicidal behavior, being more common in women. Currently, the contemporary youth experiences feelings of disappointment before the contradictions faced day after day, mostly hidden under a conformity appearance and general discouragement feelings that end up triggering depressive issues. Nowadays, such phenomenon places youth in a situation of outright vulnerability, affecting their emotional health before a lack of opportunities and spaces, thus. Hence the relevance of addressing the issues on both depression and suicidal behavior from a gender and an interdisciplinary perspective.